April 14th, 2017 Check-in begins at 9am and the Festival kicks off at 10:00am! Thursday, April 13th is Day One and the culmination of the $250,000 Columbia Venture Competition (tickets not required). More than 130 alumni judges from Brooklyn to Beijing have helped us narrow down a field of 200+ Columbia-founded startups to just 30 finalists. The winners will be announced live at the Festival. Friday, April 14th is Day Two when the festivities move to Roone Arledge Auditorium (Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway) from 10:00am to 4:30pm for the Festival conference, featuring an exciting array of speakers and discussions. Panels and Keynotes Women in Entrepreneurship: Investment and Opportunity - with Deborah Jackson 80BUS and Hayley Barna, co-Founder of Birchbox Facts, Alternative Facts, and Innovations in the Media in Response to the Post-Truth Era- with Jacob Weisberg, Chairman of Slate Group Climate Change: Fact, Fiction, Innovations and Solutions" - With Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Columbias Earth Institute Fostering Innovation in the NYC Life Science Ecosystem - Columbia Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic National Academies of Engineering, Medicine & Inventors Columbia Founders Fare" - With more than 20 Columbia-founded food startups feeding our attendees.